Arsene Wenger is famous at Arsenal for unearthing gems, but of course, he also had some forgettable transfer deals.
Amaury Bischoff:
"With Bischoff joining Arsenal, Wenger once again signed an unknown young player who could become a future sensation," commented Bleacher Report when Bischoff arrived at Arsenal in the summer of 2008.
In the end, Bischoff played a total of 74 minutes in the first team in four substitute appearances before leaving at the end of the season. The former Portuguese youth international spent most of his career afterward in the German third division.
Juan:
The left-back arrived at Arsenal from Sao Paulo at the age of 19 in 2001 and made two appearances in the national cup before suffering a serious ACL injury.
After recovery, he was loaned out to Millwall for two months. Upon his return, Juan couldn't compete with Ashley Cole and Gael Clichy. He later returned to Brazil, winning titles with Fluminense, Flamengo, and Santos, even earning two caps for the national team.
Alberto Mendez:
Joining in the same summer as Nicolas Anelka, Emmanuel Petit, and Marc Overmars, it's understandable that Mendez was overshadowed at Arsenal. Mendez himself admitted he couldn't understand why Wenger wanted to sign him: "When I went to London for negotiations, I told Arsene three times, 'You've seen me play only once, and I played poorly, yet you still want to sign me. I don't understand.'"
It's no surprise that Mendez failed to make an impression in North London, making only 11 appearances across all competitions in five years.
Stathis Tavlaridis:
Signed for £1 million from Greek club Iraklis at the age of 21 in 2001, Tavlaridis couldn't compete with the likes of Sol Campbell, Martin Keown, Tony Adams, and Kolo Toure.
Seven out of his eight appearances for Arsenal were in the League Cup, but the former Greek international found his footing in Ligue 1 with Lille and Saint-Etienne.
Stefan Malz:
Malz's record of scoring two goals in 14 appearances from midfield justified the £650,000 fee that Arsenal paid 1860 Munich in the summer of 1999.
After just two years at Arsenal, Malz was sold for £580,000 to Kaiserslautern, where he struggled with injuries and played 33 games over four seasons before falling out with manager Kurt Jara. Towards the end of his career, he played in the 11th tier of German football.
Kaba Diawara:
Diawara has represented prestigious clubs like Arsenal, Marseille, and PSG. However, he spent only six months each at Arsenal and Marseille and was loaned out four times in three years at PSG.
Tomas Danilevicius:
Danilevicius certainly achieved significant accomplishments in his career and currently holds the position of chairman of the Lithuanian Football Federation.
After scoring as a trialist in a preseason friendly against Barcelona, the former striker was signed by Arsenal for £1 million. However, Danilevicius made only three substitute appearances for the Gunners before departing.
